Variable surface putting device



April 1970 w. A. BEDFORD, JR 3,508,756

VARIABLE SURFACE PUTTING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 19. 1968 X MJXAX lQl/WXJK/X United States Patent O US. Cl. 273-176 7 Claims ABSTRACTOF THE DISCLOSURE A C-shaped golf ball putting cup is supported on asheet of tensioned cloth which forms a putting surface. The edges of thecloth are vertically adjustable relative to a supporting frame so thatflat or undulated cloth putting surfaces may be formed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various devices have been employedheretofore for practicing putting but these are used on fiat areas andwere useful to improve skills for straight putts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A knockdown frame is provided embodyingU-shaped cross members interconnected by straight portions at the sidefor maintaining the arms at the ends in vertical position. Theupstanding arms are of cylindrical shape having a washer thereon theaperture thereof having a slight clearance therewith. The washers havean aperture for receiving the end of a coil spring the opposite end ofwhich is secured in a grommet provided in the hem of a strip of clothwhich is supported between the arms under tension. A pair of arms extendforwardly from the front frame and converge toward each other. The endsare bolted to the cloth and provide an outward force to maintain thecloth in tension therebetween. The cloth may extend forwardly of thearms to rest on the floor to provide an area from which the ball will beputted.

The cloth will slope upwardly from the portion resting on the floor andextend rearwardly at the height at which the springs support the clothbetween the arms. When all of the washers are at the same height on thearms, a flat surface will be provided between the arms. By adjusting thewashers to different heights, different shapes can be given to the clothrequiring the ball to travel over a curved path to reach the cup. Thecup is C shaped having an open face which may be set at differentangles, depending upon the point from which the final approach of theball will take to reach the cup. The open face of the cup has a swingingwire thereacross to permit the ball to pass thereby when moving into thecup and for retaining the ball therein after its entrance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of anundulatable putting green embodying features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated inFIG. 1, taken on the line 44 thereof;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged broken sectional view of the structure illustratedin FIG. 3, taken on the line 5-5 thereof;

FIG. 6 is a broken plan view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2, asviewed from the point 6 thereof;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 6 showing theball entering the cup; and

FIG. 8 is a front view of the cup illustrated in FIG. 7.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The putting device of thepresent invention comprises: a knockdown frame 11 having like U-shapedsections 12 and 13 and a separable frame section 14 at the end. Thesections 12 and 13 are of tubular construction having web portions 15which are bent upwardly to form arms 16 at each side. Tube sections 17are welded to the sections 12 beneath the arms 16 which receive reducedextending ends 18 of spacing tubes 19 to retain the sections 12 and 13 apredetermined distance apart.

The end section 14 has upright arms 21 welded to a tube section 22having right angle portions 23 and 24. A tubular section 25 has itsreduced ends 18 extended into the portion 24 to space the arms 21 apredetermined distance apart such as to be aligned with the arms 16 ofthe sections 12 and 13. A tubular section 19 has reduced end portions 18inserted into the portions 23 and 17 to space the arms 21 apredetermined distance from the section 12. It is to be understood thatother sections besides sections 12 and 13 may be employed to lengthenthe frame to increase the length of the putting area.

The forwardly extending portions 27 of the tube sections 17 of the frontsection 13 are bent inwardly to converge toward each other. Tubularsections 28 have reduced ends 18 which project within the tubularsections 27 with the forward ends provided with a slot 29 through whicha bolt 31 in a grommet in the putting green cloth 32 extends to providean outward force to stress the cloth therebetween.

The cloth, as illustrated in FIG. 5, has an edge hem 33 containinggrommets 34 which are disposed opposite to the frame sections 12 and 13,the ends of the tubular sections 28 and at the corners adjacent to thearms 21. Washers 35 are placed on the arms 16 and 21 having an extension36 at one side containing an aperture 37. One end of coil springs 38 ishooked into an aperture 37 the opposite end being hooked into a grommet34 to provide a tension between the edges of the cloth and with the endsof the tubular section 28. This provides an upward slope to the clothbetween the bolts 31 and the arms 1 and a fiat surface between the arms16 and 21 when all of the washers 35 are in the same plane. The forwardportion 41 of the cloth provides an area on which the ball may be placedand the putter stand when direct ing a ball toward a cup 42.

The cup 42 may be placed anywhere upon the cloth 32 in the area betweenthe front section 13 and the rear section 14. The cup, as illustrated inFIGS. 6, 7 and 8, has a metal body portion 43 which is semicircular inshape having a ridge 44 to provide strength and extending ends 45 toform stops for a gate 46. The gate 46 is made of a piece of wire bent inU-shape, having extending ends 47 which pivots in apertures at the topforward ends of the body 43. The front portion is extended downwardly at48 to provide feet and legs 49 are lanced out of the body to have theend disposed in the plane of the feet 48 providing four points ofsupport for the cup on the putting cloth 32. As illustrated in FIG. 3,the cup may be located on the rear center of the putting cloth or may bedisposed, as illustrated in dot and dash line, outwardly thereof andfaced in the direction from which the ball is to approach the cup. Theball passes the gate 46 and is trapped within the cup when the gatedrops down to its initial position. When the ball is trapped in the cupin this manner, there can be no argument but what the putt was made.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the washer 35 on the arm 16 of theframe 13 on the remote side of the device has been lowered while thewasher 35 on the arm 16 of the frame 13 on the forward side has beenraised sloping the cloth downwardly from the forward side. The washers35 on the arms 16 and 21 of the frame sections 12 and 14 have beenraised thereby sloping the cloth toward the forward side. The puttermust therefore consider the path which is uphill between the nuts 32 andsection 13 and which slopes toward the rearward side of the frame andthe section of the cloth between the sections 12 and 14 which slopes tothe forward side of the frame to figure the path which the ball musttake to enter the cup 42. When considering such a path the cup could bein the position shown in dot and dash line of FIG. 3. By raising andlowering the Washers 35, an undulation may be provided to the clothsurface which would require greater and greater skill for the putter. Bybeing able to place the cup in any position on the cloth furtherinterest and difiiculty to make the putt is thereby provided.

What is claimed is:

1. In a putting device, a frame, a cloth supported at different pointsby the frame, means for adjusting the height of the supporting points ofthe cloth on the frame to provide an undulated surface to the cloth, anda putting cup supported by said cloth.

2. In a putting device as recited in claim 1, wherein the frame hasupstanding arms, washers on said arms,

and springs connecting the washers to the edges of said cloth.

3. In a putting device as recited in claim 2, wherein a pair offorwardly extending arms is provided on the frame, and means forsecuring the forward end of said last mentioned arms to the cloth tostretch the cloth therebetween.

4. In a putting device as recited in claim 3, wherein the cloth extendsforwardly of the forwardly extending arms to form an area from which theputting is to occur.

5. In a putting device as recited in claim 1, wherein said cup is ofC-shape and is movable to any desired spot on the cloth with the openface directed toward the area from which the ball is to enter the cup.

6. In a putting device as recited in claim 5, wherein a swingable gateis provided on the open face of the cup for trapping the ball in the cupwhen a successful putt is made.

7. In a putting device as recited in claim 1, wherein the frame is madein sections which are removably secured together providing spacedupright arms at the sides, washers adjustable up and down on the arms,and springs interconnecting the washers with the edges of said cloth toprovide a tension thereto which permits a change from a fiat to anundulated surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 898,530 9/1908 Treadwell.1,612,291 12/1926 Jackson. 3,139,283 6/1964 Lester. 3,420,528 1/1969Day.

GEORGE J. MARLO, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 273-l77

